Orgetorix
Encyclopedia
Orgetorix was a wealthy aristocrat among the Helvetii
Helvetii
The Helvetii were a Celtic tribe or tribal confederation occupying most of the Swiss plateau at the time of their contact with the Roman Republic in the 1st century BC...

, a Celtic-speaking people residing in what is now Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

 during the consulship of Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....

 of the Roman Republic
Roman Republic
The Roman Republic was the period of the ancient Roman civilization where the government operated as a republic. It began with the overthrow of the Roman monarchy, traditionally dated around 508 BC, and its replacement by a government headed by two consuls, elected annually by the citizens and...

. In 61 BC he convinced the Helvetians to attempt to migrate from Helvetian territory to south-western Gaul
Gaul
Gaul was a region of Western Europe during the Iron Age and Roman era, encompassing present day France, Luxembourg and Belgium, most of Switzerland, the western part of Northern Italy, as well as the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the left bank of the Rhine. The Gauls were the speakers of...

 (modern-day France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

). He was also party to a clandestine arrangement with Dumnorix
Dumnorix
Dumnorix was a chieftain of the Aedui, a Celtic tribe in Gaul in the 1st century B.C. He was strongly against alliance with the Romans, particularly Julius Caesar, who sparred with him on several occasions...

 of the Aedui
Aedui
Aedui, Haedui or Hedui , were a Gallic people of Gallia Lugdunensis, who inhabited the country between the Arar and Liger , in today's France. Their territory thus included the greater part of the modern departments of Saône-et-Loire, Côte-d'Or and Nièvre.-Geography:The country of the Aedui is...

 and Casticus
Casticus
Casticus was a nobleman of the Sequani of eastern Gaul. His father, Catamantaloedes, had previously been the ruler of the tribe, and had been recognised as a "friend" by the Roman Senate....

 of the Sequani
Sequani
Sequani, in ancient geography, were a Gallic people who occupied the upper river basin of the Arar , the valley of the Doubs and the Jura Mountains, their territory corresponding to Franche-Comté and part of Burgundy.-Etymology:...

 to seize control of their respective tribes by arms and between them rule most of Gaul. The conspiracy was denounced, Orgetorix was called to a hearing in chains before the government of the Helvetii, he arrived with a small army, and was released but died mysteriously, a rumored suicide. The Helvetians went on with their plans for migration but were defeated in 58 BC and returned by Julius Caesar. This incident was the beginning of the Gallic War in which Caesar subjugated the Celts of Europe.

Etymology

Julius Pokorny
Julius Pokorny
Julius Pokorny was an Austrian linguist and scholar of the Celtic languages, particularly Irish, and a supporter of Irish nationalism. He held academic posts in Austrian and German universities.-Life:...

 segments the name [P]orgeto-rix, where the first element contains Gallic orge, "kill,", related to Old Irish orcaid, "kill," from the Indo-European
Indo-European languages
The Indo-European languages are a family of several hundred related languages and dialects, including most major current languages of Europe, the Iranian plateau, and South Asia and also historically predominant in Anatolia...

root *per-g-, "to hit." The second element is manifestly Celtic rīx, "king:" "warrior-king," which does not imply that the owner of the name is necessarily a legal ruler. Although Orgetorix had aspirations in that direction, he was not one.

Plan for migration

The effort came by way of marital exchange and individual alliances among some of the young nobles from all three tribes.

Trial

Rivals among the Helvetii discovered Orgetorix's illegal plot and moved to put him on trial, with the penalty of death by burning if found guilty. Assisting his efforts to avoid that fate, Orgetorix had meanwhile acquired a significant personal retinue in addition to having called up an army of more than 10,000 men at arms in addition to their mobilized clients, followers and dependents.

Death

As the Helvetii, Aeduii and Sequanii all strained at their respective councils and halls, amid much stress and lament, Orgetorix was murdered in his encampment.
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